JUST IN: Democrat DC Councilman Arrested on Federal Bribery Charges
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Democrat DC Councilman Trayon White Sr., 40, was arrested on Sunday on federal bribery charges, the Justice Department announced.
“The complaint alleges that, beginning in June 2024, White corruptly agreed to accept $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position as a DC Councilmember to pressure government employees at Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) and DYRS to extend several DC contracts,” the DOJ said.
“The contracts at issue were valued at $5.2 million and were for two companies to provide Violence Intervention services in DC. As alleged, the $156,000 White agreed to accept in exchange for using his official position to pressure renewal of those contracts to particular companies was three percent total contract value,” the DOJ said.
The bribe was captured on video.
“According to the complaint, White’s agreement with a confidential human source (the owner of the companies) – including the source’s payment to White of $35,000 in cash on four separate occasion (June 26, July 17, July 25, and August 9, 2024) and the source showing White a document reflecting how White’s three-percent cut was calculated based on those contracts – was captured on video,” the Justice Department said.
NBC News reported:
D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Sr. was arrested on Sunday on federal bribery charges, the Justice Department announced Monday.
A criminal complaint alleges that, starting in June, White agreed to accept $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for leveraging his role as a D.C. councilmember to pressure government employees at the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and DYRS to extend several contracts in the district.
White’s arrest occurred around 2 p.m. Sunday, a spokesperson for the D.C. city council told NBC News. The spokesperson, Lindsey Walton, said the council was not previously aware of an investigation into White.
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